Envelop-machine



Gy BALL.

ENVELOP MACHINE.

APPUCAHON mu) iuNEz, 191s.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

2 snifs-snr l.

Geo/ye Enf/.

TTORN EVS G. BALL.

ENVELUP MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLLD JUNE'N, |916.

Patented Jan. 11, 19in.

2 SHEUS--SHEET 2.

NVENTOR TTORNEYS d;TINESS I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BALL, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WRITING-PAT-TERSON COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ENVELOP-MACHINE.

Application led June 27, 1916.

T o all whom it m07/ concer/n.'

Be it known that I, Gnonon BALL, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of Philadelphia., county of Philadelphia. and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inEnvelop-Maehines, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to envelop machines employed in the production ofwhat are commercially known as window envelops, that is, envelops havinga suitable opening in the face covered by a piece of transparent orglassine paper through which'the address on the contents of the envelopmay be read. and more especially to those machines which comprise meansfor suitably feeding a continuous strip or web of the transparent paperto suitable cutting means which serve to sever a portion of the paperfrom the web to form the patch as it is known in the art, which is thenaffixed over the opening in the envelop blank by the operation of themaf-hine, as distinguished from those envelop machines in which thepatches of transparent paper are formed separately from the machine andarranged in a magazine or holder from which they are fed one at a timeand aliixed to the envelop blank as the latter passes through themachine.

A principal object of my invention is to provide inea ns whereby themovement of the web oi. transparent paper to the cutting means by whichit is severed into the patches shall be automatically arrestedsubstantiallyv conteinporaneously with the ces-sation of the movement ofenvelop blanks through the machine, so that when no envelop blanks arepassing into the machine and thence through the gumming, creasing andfolding mechanism, no patches will be cut off from the web. thusavoiding waste of the transparent paper and also danger of clogging themachin which otherwise results from the feeding of the patches into themachine without correlsponding envelop blanks to which, in the normaloperation of the machine, the patches would be consecutively applied.

Other objets of my invention are to provide means for the purposesintended which may he readily arranged for use upon standard envelopmachines, and which when attached to the machil'ies and arranged tooperate therewith shall be entirely automatic Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented J an. 11, 1921.

Serial No. 106,200.

in action and shall not materially affect either the speed or operationof the machine.

My invention further comprises all of the other various novel objectsand features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitelyspecified and described.

l"er the purposes of this application I have shown my invention asapplied to a wellknown form of envelop machine comprising means forsupporting the envelop blanks, means for gumming the blanks, means forfeedinfr the gummed blanks to a foldingr station and means for foldingthe gummed blanks into completed envelops, all of these operations andthe means employed to effect them being well known to those skilled inthe art. The said machine also comprises means for supporting a roll oftransparent paper and means for intermittently feeding the web from theroll to a suitable cutting mechanism which serves to cut the web intoseparate patches, and 'also means for transferring each patch after itis cut to the means which serve to alli): it to the gummed envelop blankto cover the window opening therein.

ln the accompanying drawings is illustrated a prefered form of myinvention as applied to an envelop machine of the nature of thathereinbefore described, the elements of the envelop machine proper beingshown substantially diagrammatically. Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe machine and showing the various parts and instrumentalitiescomprising the invention in one position, and Fig. Q a similar viewshowing the same in another position, as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

The envelop machine proper in connection with which the invention isshown, comprises the usual frame l supporting a table 2 adjacent theforward end of which (that is the end toward the right hand side of then'ifzfline aff viewed in the drawing) is the usual elevator 3 whichserves to support the envelop blanks 4 disposed in a stack or pilebeneath the vertically reciprocatingY lgumming dies 5 which are arrangedto descend upon the topmost blank in the stack, deposit the gum upon theflaps of the blank and also around the window opening and raise theblank off the stack in their reverse movement. The machine alsocomprises means (not shown) for feeding the elevator 3 vertically upwardas the blanks are withdrawn from the stack by the upward movement of thegumming dies and thence transferred to the conveyer 7 by means of whichthe gummed blanks are carried beneath the creasing plunger 3 which isadapted to descend at the proper time and force the blank into thecreasing boX 9 where the flaps are folded down and the envelop completedby the suitably actuated folders 10, and thence automatically removedfrom the machine.

In the type of envelop machine illustrated, means are also provided forintermittently feeding a web 13 of transparent or other suitable paperdrawn from a roll 14 supported on a bracket 15 attached to the machinein the rear of the plunger 3, to a suitable cutting mechanism (notshown) which serves to sever the web to form the patches, suitableconveying means (not shown) being provided to transfer the patch afterit is cut from the web to a position suitable for its application to thegummed blank` For the purpose of intermittently feeding the web of paper13 in such manner that a predetermined length of paper will be forcedbeneath the cutting means each time that the paper is moved so that uponthe operation of the cutting means a patch of the desired width will besevered, a pair of horizontally extending feed rolls 2O are providedthrough which the web of paper is threaded, said rolls being actuated bysuitable gears 21 and 22 intermeshing with a larger gear 23 rotatablysupported on the bracket 15 and integral with or lixedly secured to aratchet wheel 25. A bell crank lever 27 is pivoted concentric with theratchet wheel 25 and provided at one end with a movable pawl 28 which isnormally depressed by a suitable spring 29 to engage the periphery ofthe ratchet wheel. The other end of the bell crank lever is movablysecured to one end of a link 32 the other end of which in turn ismovably secured adjacent the end of one arm of a bell crank lever 34which is pivoted to the bracket 15 to oscillate about the center 35. 1fdesired, said arm may be provided with a slot 36 engaging the stud 37 bymeans of which the link 32 is attached to it and suitable means arrangedto secure the stud at any desired position in the slot to permit thedistance between the center 35 and the stud to be varied between limitsand hence, correspondingly, the movement of the bell crank 27 whenactuated as hereinafter described.

The other arm of the bell crank 34 is provided adjacent its outerextremity with a roller 40 adapted to engage the periphery of the feedcam 42 which is fiXedlyV secured upon a horizontally disposed shaft 43extending transversely of the machine and rotated by suitable drivingmeans (not shown)7 when the machine is in operation.

It will be evident that the rotation of the cam 42 during each cycle ofthe machine will normally serve to drive the roller 40 toward the frontof the machine from the position shown in Fig. 1 and thus elevate thatarm of the bell crank 34 to which the link 32 is attached, which, inturn, will cause the bell crank 27 to oscillate and thus force the pawl23 rearwardly with respect to the machine to rotate. the ratchet wheel25 and gear 23 through a predetermined arc to actuate gears 21 and 22and the corresponding feed rolls 2O to which they are respectivelyattached, thus drawing the web 13 between the rolls for a distancecommensurate with the arc through which the feed rolls revolve.

Furthermore it will be evident that by varying the distance between thestud 37 and the center 35 the distance traveled b v the pawl 28 aroundthe periphery of the ratchet wheel 25 at each movement of the bell cranklever 27 may be regulated to determine the exactamount of transparentpaper which shall be fed Vforward at each movement of the feed rolls 20.Y

The operation of the various instrumentelities hereinbefore describedmay be briefly characterized as follows: A. stack of envelop blanks eachhaving a window opening` cut therein having been placed on the elevator3 and the latter raised to a position in which the tepmost blank isbrought into proper relation with the gumming dies and the conveyer, andthe machine having been set in motion, the gumming dies descend andstrikinfr the top blank raise it to a position where it i s strippedfrom the dies and carried rearwardly on the conveyer 7 to a position inwhich the plunger 8 can descend and force it into the creasing boX.Meanwhile the movement of feed cam 42 has actuated the feed rolls 20 toproject the desired length of transparent paper beneath the cuttingmeans bv which it has been severed from the web and conveyed into properregistration with the window opening in the envelop blank then passingthrough the machine and thence carried down with said blank into thefolding box to form the completed envelop, the various operations offeeding, cutting off and conveying the patch being properly timed withrespect to the movement of the envelop blank through the machine tobring the patch into registration with the opening in the blank at theproper instant.

1t will be evident', however, even though no envelop blanks are passingthrough the machine, that in the absence of means to prevent the feedingof the web 13 the latter will be intermittently projected beneath thecutting mechanism and severed into patches whenever the machine is inmotion. resulting both in a waste of transparent paper .andin theclogging and obstruction of the parts, and for the purpose of preventingthis result provide suitable means to prevent the revolution of the feedrollers except when the blanks are passing ythrough the machine.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, and as shown in thedrawings, I provide for effecting this result a feeler finger 5() whichextends over the elevator 3 and rests upon the topmostblank of the stack4t when such blank is in propel' position to be struck by the gummingdies. The feeler finger may be pivoted on a bracket 51 secured to thetable 2, and provided with a depending arm 53 in turn movably secured toa rearwardly extendingr rod 54, the parts being arranged in such mannerthat the elevation or depression of the feeler finger will reciprocatethe rod 54 and in turn oscillate a depending arm 56 pivotedconcentrically with the bell crank lever 34 to move about center 35, thelower or free end of the arm 56 being provided with a roller 57 adaptedto engage the periphery of the feeler finger cam 58 which is secured toshaft 43 and adapted to rotate therewith.

suitably positioned on the table 2 is a support 60, t0 which ishorizontally pivoted an upwardly extending dog 61 of suitable length toengage beneath a forwardly extending finger 63 fiXedly Secured to thatarm of the bell crank lever 34 to which link 32 is attached when the dogis drawn toward the back of the machine to assume substantially theposition shown in Fig. 2 for a purpose and by the means to behereinafter described. The dog 61 is connected with the arm 56 by a rod65 movably secured adjacent either end respectively to the dog and tothe arm and a suitable spring 67 is arranged to normally force the rod54 toward the rear of the machine and hence to Swing the feeler finger50 toward the table 2 and thus cause it to normally rest upon thetopmost blank of those which may be upon the elevator when such blank isin position to be struck by the gumming dies.

It will be evident with the parts constructed and assembled ashereinbefore described that so long as there are any envelop blanks uponthe elevator with the topmost blank in position to be picked up by thegumming dies and fed to the conveyer, the feeler finger .30 will beraised. the arm 56 swung toward the front of the machine and the roller57 maintained in such position that it is out of contact with a portionof the cam 58 during tlnl revolution of the latter; and furthermore.rthat dog 61 will be forced forwardly to substantially the position shownin Fig. l, entirely out of contact with the finger 63 so that bell crank34 may swing rearwardliv under the action of a suitably positionedspring 7 i) until the roller 40 is in a position to follow the cam 42during its entire revolution which occurs once during each cycle of themachine whereby the various parts may function to actnate the feedrollers 20 to project the web of paper through them as hereinbeforedescribed.

WVhenever the envelop blanks on the elevator become exhausted, or theelevator is lowered for any reason to such position that the topmostblank upon it is not in a position to be fed to the machine, the feelerfinger 5() under the iniiuence of spring 67 moves downwardly until theroller 57 is in a position to contact with every point of the feelerfinger cam 58, the movement of arm 56 and rod 65 serving to draw dog 61to a position beneath the finger 63 as shown in Fig. 2 so that the bellcrank lever 34 is prevented from oscillating through an arc sufiicientlygreat to draw the pawl 26 the distance of a tooth around the ratchetwheel 25, thus reventing the rotation of the ratchet whee 25 and feedrollers 20 and, in turn, the forward movement of the web 13, so long asno envelop blanks are in a position to pass through thc machine.

As soon, however.l as the feeler finger 50 is again raised throughcontact with a blank in position to bc fed into the machine, roller 57is drawn away from cam 58 and dog 61 forced from beneath finger 63 topermit the feeding means to again resume their flinction. it beingundcrstood that roller 57 can never assume a position but what it willbe, at certain times. engaged by a certain portion of cam 58 during thelatters revolution, such engagement being necessary to raise the feelcrfinger 50, through the medium of rod sufficiently to permit the topmostenvelop blank to be withdrawn from the stack by the gumming dies` intheir upward movement` cam 58 being properly shaped to effect thisresult.

lVhile I have herein illustrated and described a preferred embodiment ofmy invention with considerable particularity and have shown the same inconnection with an envelop machine of well known form, and which iscommercially known as a plunger type machine, l do not thereby intend ordesire to limit myself specically thereto or to the use of the inventionin connection with an envelop machine of the type referred to. as theinvention may be utilized with any suitable type of envelop machine landthe specific elements and instrumentalities employed may be modified asto details of construction and arrangement without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described mv invention. I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States:

1. ln a machine for making window envelops having blank folding means.the combination of means for feeding envelop blanks from a predeterminedposition to said folding means and means for feeding a continuous web ofpaper whereby portions thereof may be supplied to said folding means andattached to the envelop, of means to prevent the operation of said paperfeeding means in the absence of an envelop blank from said predeterminedposition.

2. rllhe combination with an envelop machine having envelop blankfeeding means and means for feeding a continuous web of paper so as topermit portions thereof to be affixed to a blank, of means operative toadjust the position of certain elements of said web feeding means inaccordance with the presence or absence of an envelop blank in apredetermined position, prior to the passage thereof through saidmachine, to render the feeding means operative or inoperative.

3. T he combination with an envelop machine having an elevator, meansfor feeding envelop blanks from said elevator to a folding mechanism,and means for feeding a web of paper toward said envelop blanks, ofmeans operative to permit the actuation of said paper feeding meansYonly when envelop blanks are supported on said elevator in a positionto be fed through the machine.

l. The combination with an envelop machine having an elevator adapted tohold and supply envelop blanks to the machine, means for folding theblanks, means for feeding a blank from said elevator to said foldingmeans, normally operated means for intermittently feeding a continuousweb of paper whereby portions thereof may be supplied to said foldingmeans and secured on ablank and mechanical means operative to adjustparts of said web feeding means to prevent its operation upon theabsence of an envelop blank in a feeding or operative position abovesaid elevator.

5. The combination with an envelop machine having an elevator, a gummingdie, a plunger, means for feeding an envelop blank from said gumming dieto said plunger, and means for intermittently feeding a continuous webof paper toward said plunger whereby a portion of said paper may besecured on said envelop blank, of means operative to permit theactuation of said paper feeding means only when an envelop blank is onsaid elevator in a position to be struck by said gumming die and fedunder said plunger to thereby prevent the feeding of the web of paper inthe absence of a corresponding supply of envelop blanks. y

6. rl`he combination in an envelop machine, of a gumming die, means foroperatively positioning an envelop blank beneath said gumming die,folding means, means for feeding an envelop blank from said gumming dieto said folding means, means for intermittently feeding a continuous webof paper toward said folding means, and means to prevent the actuationof said paper feeding means except when an envelop blank is in operativeposition beneath said gumming die to be fed under said plunger andthereby prevent the feeding of the web of paper in the absence of acorresponding feeding of the envelop blanks.

7. The combination with an envelop machine comprising an" elevatoradapted to support envelop blanks, folding means, means for transferringenvelop blanks from said elevator to said folding means, and means forfeeding a continuous web of paper toward said folding means, of meansoperative to prevent the operation of said paper feeding means save whenan envelop blank is in a position on said elevator to be transferred tosaid folding means.

8. In an envelopmaking machine adapted to join a transparent window toan envelop, including means for pressing the window blanks and envelopblanks together to secure the window in position on the envelop, thecombination of means to feed an envelop blank under said pressing means,normally operative means for feeding a web of transparent paper wherebyportions thereof may be supplied under said pressing means and meansoperative to permit the actuation of said paper feeding means only whenenvelop blanks are in position to be fed by said feeding means. l

9.V ln an envelop making machine adapted to join a transparent window toan envelop blank, including a plunger for securing the gummed portionsof the blank and window together, the combination of means for feedingan envelop blank under said plunger, normally operative means forfeeding a web of paper whereby portions Vthereof may be severed andcarried under said plunger and means operative to prevent the actuationof said paper feeding means in the absence of an envelop blank in properposition to be fed by said feeding means.

l0. The combination of an envelop machine having an elevator adapted tohold and supply envelop blanks to the machine, blank folding means,means for feeding a blank from said elevator to said foldingv means,normally operative means for intermittently feeding a continuous web ofpaper whereby portions thereof may be supplied to said folding meansincluding a rotary cam and a movable link mechanism operated thereby andmeans actuated upon the absence of an envelop blank in said envelopblank holding and supplying position above said elevator to maintainsaid link mechanism out of engagement with said rotary cam and therebyprevent an opto envelop blanks, means for restraining the operation ofsaid Windovv blank feeding means upon an absence of envelop blanks insaid machine and means operative upon the presence of envelop blanks insaid machine for releasing said restraining means to render said windowblank feeding means operative.

12. In a machine for making Window envelops, the combination of anelevator for holding and supplying envelop blanks to the machine, meansto transfer an envelop blank from said means to a blank folding means,means to intermittently feed a web of transparent paper adapted to formthe Window portions of the envelop, means engaging the envelop blanks onsaid elevator adapted to prevent the operation of said web feeding meansin the absence of an envelop blank in said envelop blank holding andsupplying position above said elevator and means to move saidlast-mentioned means to permit an envelop blank to be withdrawn fromsaid elevator and fed to said folding means by said transferring means.

13. In a machine for making Window envelops, the combination of meansfor feeding window blanks to envelop blanks, interfering means operativeto render Said window blank feeding means inoperative, control meansoperative upon the presence of an envelop blank in said machine torender said interfering means inoperative whereby said Window blankfeeding means is rendered operative, said control means operative uponthe absence of an envelop blank in said machine to render saidinterfering means operative whereby said window blank feeding means isrendered inoperative.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of June, A.D. 1916.

GEORGE BALL.

